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michelletwomey
Reviews
Don't Look Up (2021)
Unforgettable
I don't even know where to start with this one. The script is just insanely good. The story is poignant and absurd and funny and sad and a true depiction of society, which also makes it very scary. Why did it get one star reviews??
A massive comet is heading towards earth and, at one point, it becomes visible in the sky. This is when people really start believing the existence of the comet. They are looking up and they actually see what is happening. However, even at this point, the president (Meryl Streep!!) and the Government are still full of their own self serving agenda and they admonish anyone who looks up (accusing them of being scare mongers).
The president is spouting her usual spiel during a "don't look up" rally (hilarious!) and, at one point, a man in the crowd does actually look up and he sees the comet with his own eyes and realizes the Government has been lying to him all this time. When I got to this point in the film I just felt that the script was pure genius. I am oversimplifying things here but if you watch the film with no preconceived notions, I think you'll also find the writing is just incredible.
I deliberately haven't read the negative reviews as I honestly just don't want to. This is the best film I have seen in God knows how long. I don't need to go on about the amazing acting from a stellar cast (Leonardo Di Caprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, etc...) but the writing is just brilliant. The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" kept coming into my mind while I watched movie. I personally found it unforgettable.
Stowaway (2021)
Anna Kendrick's performance
I think one of the reasons people rated this film poorly was because of its slow pace, but I found the pacing to be perfect for this type of movie.
Stowaway is a beautiful, thought provoking film and quite sad too. There is a great depth to the characters - who show super emotional resilience when faced with an unbearable situation.
I don't know anything about the science stuff so any inaccuracies there may have been didn't bother me.
People who are expecting a fast-paced, entertaining and exciting sci-fi thriller won't like this film. Neither will people with a short attention span! I've nothing against fast-paced, exciting sci-fi movies myself and I really enjoy a lot of them. But this film doesn't fit into that category and it shouldn't be rated poorly just because people expected something different.
My one criticism (and this is me getting on my soap box here - sorry!) is the character's belief that they are doing something extraordinary for mankind and that it gives their lives some kind of massive significance. I really dislike this theme of space exploration being seen as the answer to everything!
Anyway, that's my only gripe. But the film really is well worth a watch, if anything to see Anna Kendrick's incredible performance.
Extinction (2018)
I actually loved the twist in this film
I found the film a little boring until the twist happened. It was very unexpected and very cleverly done. This is definitely a film of two halves and the second half is far better IMO.
The kids in the film gave such a realistic portrayal of how any kid would react during an invasion where their lives are in danger. It was uncomfortable at times and I think that's why people found the daughters irritating. I feel the actresses were great, it seems to me that the Director probably wanted them to play their parts in this ultra realistic way. But I don't think that it worked in this film, it just started to feel a bit jarring at times. Their performances were fantastic, but probably better suited to a different film I think! Overall, the film was fine and worth a watch.
Time Trap (2017)
Don't take it too seriously
I loved this. Yeah, there are a lot of unanswered questions, the script comes across as immature and cheesy at times, but I was hooked. Once the main characters got down into the cave, I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. It's a fairly bizarre kind of film, I ended up laughing (I think inappropriately) at times, but it was so suspenseful and in ways, extremely clever. The film didn't quite tie together. It's also scarier than I expected but that didn't bother me. Just take it with a pinch of salt and you'll enjoy it!
The Starling (2021)
A Classic
What a beautiful movie. I don't know if people are being paid to write the negative reviews, but unfortunately, that's just how the world is these days. We can't really judge a film from reviews anymore - we have to just watch the film and find out for ourselves.
This was beautiful, sad and happy from beginning to end. It's a tearjerker so be warned! But it feels so real, especially because of the terrific acting from Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Kevin Kline. It's paced perfectly and is one of the most uplifting films I've seen in a long time.
Ode to Joy (2019)
I couldn't connect with Charlie
Martin Freeman (who I love as an actor) played the part of Charlie, a man with a serious neurological condition that makes him lose consciousness when he's overcome by strong emotions - primarily joy and happiness. So this puts a spanner in his love life. Along comes the beautiful Francesca (played by Morena Baccarin). Charlie falls for her, but pushes her away as he can't see how they could possibly have a future together.
I wish I could have enjoyed this more but, what blew it for me is that Charlie wasn't that nice a person to be honest. Yes, he was living with a condition that dominated his life and completely limited him in so many ways, but he proved to be unkind and cynical at times, manipulating both his brother (who was frankly a bit of an a-hole - at least until the end) and also his 'girlfriend' Bethany - a girl he chose to date as she had the kind of personality that wouldn't stir any overwhelming emotions in him.
I couldn't connect with Charlie at all, especially as the film progressed. Bethany was just portrayed as a bit of a weirdo in the film and treated as a figure of fun. There was no development of her character whatsoever, no insight into her background and why she was the way she was. I felt that there was something quite mean-spirited about Charlie's treatment of her. The film was all about Charlie getting his happy ending at the end of the day and it all felt a bit too shallow to me to be honest. Although I like Martin Freeman's other stuff and I thought Morena Baccarin was lovely in this film, I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend it at all. I just felt very unsatisfied by the end of it.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Beautiful and tender story
Wow, I'm sitting here sniffling after just watching Corpse Bride. I couldn't fault it. A typically dark but tender Tim Burton film, it's one of the best animations I've seen. It's visually stunning and the quality of the animation is amazing . It doesn't feel like a film that was made back in 2005. It's certainly not a laugh out loud type of film, but there is a purity to it that I feel you always find in Tim Burton's films. It's about love and kindness and the ending especially was perfect. I can't believe that it took me 16 years to watch, but I'm so glad I did! Xx.
The Dictator (2012)
I tried to like it more.
I thought the film was ok. Knowing this is a Sacha film, I knew what to expect. It's slapstick and a satire. It is funny in places and also intelligent. I laughed out loud a few times. But, some of the humur is just unfunny. I could deal with the 'close to the knuckle' stuff if it was funny but a lot of it just wasn't. This is just my opinion though. I get why the film would have such diverging reviews. It's worth a watch but I personally wouldn't be raving about it.